For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.
World English Bible
Leviticus 17:11
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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WEB World English Bible Public Domain ✓ - Modern English
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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Is it OK to eat blood?
The Priestly and Deuteronomic Torah absolutely forbids eating blood as a perpetual statute (Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17; 7:26-27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deut 12:16, 23), and the apostolic decree in Acts 15 reaffirms that prohibition for Gentile Christians. John 6:53-56, however, has Jesus commanding that his followers eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward reconciliation.
Law & ethics
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The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Does God desire animal sacrifices?
Leviticus 17:11 and Numbers 15 and 29 establish blood sacrifice as the divinely-mandated means of atonement — the blood makes atonement for the soul. Hebrews 10:4 and 10:11 flatly declare "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" and that the daily sacrifices "can never take away sins."
Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.
Theology
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The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
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This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"Leviticus 17:11 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/leviticus/17/11?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).